Never Was
by VampireQueenAkasha
Summary: EDITED. TFA: The Golden War had many casualties, many bonds and many...odd friendships with two of the most peculiar opposites who find themselves far from their home world, and with no choice but to work as a team. Takes place before the events of Animated.
1. Prologue

**Never Was**

**Disclaimer:** A bizarre idea that came to me shortly after I watched the new Transformers Animated episode on Saturday on March 13th. I'm not so sure if it is a... "realistic idea", to begin with, but I will make it as "real" as I possibly can. This idea was bugging me so much, I _had_ to put it down. So if you feel this isn't the best, you can tell me. It won't hurt my feelings, honest. This fic takes place before the events of Animated.

_"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before."_  
-Edgar Allan Poe

_"The utmost extent of man's knowledge, is to know that he knows nothing."_  
-Joseph Addison

**By: VampireQueenAkasha**

"_Your reasoning is highly illogical_."

-Shockwave, G1 Episode

**Prologue**

_Cybertron_

Gunshots had sounded off in all directions. Autobots scrambled all about, trying to pinpoint any form of Decepticon life amid the warp gates that stood tall over Autobot City. The Decepticons had begun to falter due to the immense strength of Omega Supreme; a mech who stood taller than any living Transformer. A mech who's power surpassed any Decepticon and Autobot alike.

Along a single warp gate, Hot Shot raced by, sending blasts of flame from his converted welding torches into a massive, towering Decepticon only known as Blackout. The flames struck the Decepticon into his torso, sending him groaning and collapsing to the ground with a thunderous crash. Hot Shot grinned and held up one fist.

"Yeah!" he shouted, "You're done, Decepti-creep!"

Blackout suddenly sat up and glowered down at him. "Wanna bet?" he rumbled, in a somewhat slow tone of voice.

Before Hot Shot could perceive what was to come, Blackout moved so quick, for one so large; and he spun his rotors on his back, slicing Hot Shot's arm clean off. The Autobot howled in pain and shock, going down and clutching his sparking arm stump. He winced in pain and a dark shadow cast over him. Hot Shot gasped, glancing up as Blackout's enormous foot came down, inches from crushing him. Just as his doom seemed imminent, an inky blue smear streaked by and he was snatched up quickly.

Hot Shot gasped and glanced up, right at Blurr.

"Whoa! Quick as always!" Hot Shot gasped.

"She'shidingunderthebridge!" Blurr told him, words all run together in a jumbled mess. "Underthebridge!"

Hot Shot grunted as he was tossed into a small area shielded with rubble. Red Alert, a female medic of the Autobots bent over him. She had a small soldering tool in hand and several other devices. Red Alert removed a smaller patch from her pack at her side and quickly injected him with something.

"It's a clean cut. I'm going to give you a quick High Grade Injection. You'll be fine." she told him.

Hot Shot stared at her in disbelief. "Fine? I'm missing my fragging arm here!" he cried, desperately. The High Grade Red Alert had injected him with slowly took its hold and he grinned at her now in a bit of a stupor. "Wow...Hey, you're so pretty..."

She smiled at him before focusing attention onto the battlefield. "The left streets are completely cut off," she told him, "Have you gotten word to Ultra Magnus of the status yet?"

Hot Shot winced and rose to his feet. "No. I was too busy getting my arm cut off!"

Red Alert sighed and glanced at him. "I need to get to the warp gates." she told him, "Can you offer a distraction of any kind?"

Hot Shot powered up his good arm and smiled, the flames of his torch casting a glow on his face. "You can count on it!"

Red Alert, Hot Shot, and Blurr took off in opposite directions. A smaller mech who could only be known as Brawn grunted angrily and heaved a massive chunk of discarded metal directly for a Seeker high above.

Starscream.

"Ugh! Where is that fool Megatron?" Starscream growled, in his annoyingly screechy voice, barely managing to dodge the metal. He took off toward the warp gates. "Why is it that he always manages to bug my circuits so badly?"

Hot Shot staggered toward the rows upon rows of over-sized warp gates. He winced and looked around, torch at the ready.

"Alright, Decepticons, I know you're here!" he called, "Come out and take your beatings!"

A dark shadow loomed over him and Hot Shot looked back with a gasp, firing his torch directly into a larger, slender shape. The mech moved quick and finally caught a good glimpse of what it was he had shot at.

Shockwave.

The tall, light blue mech gazed down at Hot Shot with that single, menacing camera optic, slitted and narrowed. His large clawed hands flexed. The hell-fire surrounding them cast light that glinted over his expressionless black face.

"So, Autobot, do you plan on fighting me with that pitiful arm of yours?" Shockwave sneered, in his slightly accented voice.

Hot Shot scowled at him. "You're not getting near these warp gates, Decepti-creep!" he spat. "You'll have to get by me!"

"Oh?" Shockwave said, "My only opponent is nothing more than a tiny little Autobot, wounded and without much weaponry on his servos but a single blowtorch?" He took a step forward, clutching something in his claws. "Not much of a challenge."

Hot Shot gritted his teeth as Shockwave advanced. Whatever that device was, he had a bad feeling in the pit of his gut about it. He raised the torch and blasted Shockwave with a searing blast of flame that practically enveloped the mech. Hot Shot gritted his teeth.

Suddenly, a metallic hand shot out from the fire and seized him by the throat. Hot Shot cried out and was tossed directly into the war gate controls. Sparks flew through the air and the warp gate roared to life, a thin ribbon of particles and electrons forming a large "gate" that led to nowhere. Shockwave's menacing red eye leered down at Hot Shot and he raised the weapon right against the Autobot's cheek.

"Consider this your dishonorable discharge..." Shockwave hissed.

Just as he prepared to deliver the finishing shot, Red Alert came flying straight at him. For a brief moment, Shockwave glanced back, surprised.

"What?" he gasped.

Red Alert plowed into the Decepticon; her speed and momentum carrying the three of them through the portal, which winked out behind them-an instant before Blurr hurled himself across the gate in a poor attempt to follow. His speed sent him careening out of control and crashing into a statue. He was practically plastered to it, groaning in pain.

"OhthatwasalotofpainI'minpain..." Blurr moaned, collapsing to the ground in a heap.

The sounds of battle still raged all around him. And so it continued, both factions completely unaware of the loss of their soldiers.

O

_Note_-I know Red Alert only had one real hand in Animated...but I'm sorta fixated on this idea that she had to of lost that hand somehow.


	2. Unwanted Comrades

**Never Was**

**Disclaimer:** A bizarre idea that came to me shortly after I watched the new Transformers Animated episode on Saturday on March 13th. I'm not so sure if it is a... "realistic idea", to begin with, but I will make it as "real" as I possibly can. This idea was bugging me so much, I _had_ to put it down. So if you feel this isn't the best, you can tell me. It won't hurt my feelings, honest. This fic takes place before the events of Animated.

_"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before."_  
-Edgar Allan Poe

_"The utmost extent of man's knowledge, is to know that he knows nothing."_  
-Joseph Addison

**By: VampireQueenAkasha**

"_Your reasoning is highly illogical_."

-Shockwave, G1 Episode

**Chapter One: Unwanted Comrades**

_Unknown Planet_

Cold.

Red Alert felt nothing but cold, and...wet?

With a soft mumble, her optics lit up and she focused them all around her. Her scans picked up images of trees and earth. Red Alert quickly sat up and glanced down. She had been lying in a small river bank. This was obviously an organic planet. The warp gate must have warped them here.

But where was here?

Red Alert spotted Shockwave and Hot Shot lying in the ground; Shockwave's body lying on his side and Hot Shot resting against a tree stump. Red Alert cautiously crept up to Shockwave and tapped his body with one foot. Had the warp shorted his circuits out?

Suddenly, Shockwave's long, clawed hand shot up and seized her ankle. Red Alert gave a startled cry and wrenched from him, just as he jumped to his feet, hand reaching for a hand gun in his back. She mimicked the move and both stood, guns leveled at each other. They circled each other, daring one or the other to make a move.

"Make a move, Autobot." Shockwave challenged.

Red Alert tensed, ready to open fire if she had to. Then, her optics fell to Shockwave's left leg. It was sparking slightly, several wires jutting out of a damaged joint. His arm also seemed to have suffered the same damage as well. But it didn't seem to bother him.

Hot Shot groaned and lifted his head, optics flickering to life. "Whoa, that was one slag of a ride..." he muttered, "Where are we any-" He cut himself off in mid - sentence and cried out, seeing the situation and jumping to his feet, leveling his torch at Shockwave's head.

Red Alert scowled for several moments more before raising her hands. "Okay, wait a minute," she said, "Let's be nice to each other, children. This is not going to get us anywhere."

"No, but it will make me feel better!" Hot Shot snapped.

Shockwave leered down at him. "Likewise, Auto-trash!" he shot back.

Red Alert lowered her weapon and tried to maintain a semblance of order. "Both of you, just stop it for a minute!" she snapped. When they looked at her, she calmed herself somewhat. "Now, we have to get ourselves in order because now is not the time to be tearing each other apart." She gestured around her to the strange planet. "Look."

The two glanced up and gazed at their surroundings. "Whoa...where are we?" Hot Shot asked.

Shockwave held up his wrist and a small panel opened, revealing a digital map of the planet and its proper coordinates. "According to my scanners, this planet is no where listed on Cybertron's records. Nothing exists of it." he murmured.

"So...you mean we're totally lost?" Hot Shot cried.

"It...would appear so." Shockwave replied.

Red Alert nodded once, attempting to keep the peace. "Well, if we are lost out here, then there is a good chance that we will not be found for some time," she said, "So I think it's probably best if we learn to get along while we're here."

"Not possible." Shockwave simply stated.

"That is absolutely not gonna happen," Hot Shot said, gesturing to Shockwave, "Not with ol' One Eye lurkin' around."

Red Alert sighed heavily in frustration. She was no fool. She knew perfectly well that Shockwave was not a Decepticon to trust. But at the same instant, she knew that even the most stoic, such as Shockwave, feared being lost...alone. So he would not make a move and risk dying out here by himself. She was determined to restore order with them.

"Not a single one of us like each other, that's obvious," Red Alert said, "But I think that maybe, considering the circumstance, it would be best for the three of us to work together." She gestured to them both. "Now why don't you two shake hands?"

Shockwave and Hot Shot glanced down at each other and Hot Shot made a face before eventually offering his good hand. Shockwave made no move. He simply glanced at Red Alert.

"While I agree that the situation calls for our teamwork, I will simply not shake this fool's hand." he said, simply.

Hot Shot scowled angrily. "See?" he snapped, "He's going to find any reason to start a fight with me!"

Shockwave leered down at him. "I, unlike most Decepticons do not seek a way to cause trouble for any reason at all," he said, almost menacingly, "Nor do I make idle threats. I make promises that I have every intention of keeping."

Hot Shot looked over at Red Alert. "Red Alert! Don't you see? He's trying to trick us! We let him go he'll throttle us in our sleep!"

Red Alert shook her head. "Hot Shot..."

"I'm sorry, I can't do it, Red Alert. I won't wait around for him to kill us." Hot Shot told her, determined, his torch at the ready.

Red Alert frowned. "I'm not sending him away to die out there alone." she said, sternly. "So how are we going to solve this?"

Much later, the night had settled in on the strange, vegetative planet. Red Alert had built a fire and Shockwave was sitting beneath a jagged incline, body wrapped up tightly in wires. He sighed heavily and shook his head with disdain.

"Either this is the most paranoid act that I have ever seen, or it is the most cowardly..." he muttered, apparently disgusted.

Red Alert shook her head. "I'm sorry, but Hot Shot is so unreasonable right now. I suppose it's the fact he is without an arm at the moment." she replied.

Shockwave ignored her.

Hot Shot moved up to the campsite, groaning heavily. He was dragging a large part of a branch. "Phew. I'm wiped out." he mumbled.

"You didn't even do anything." Red Alert laughed.

Hot Shot smiled. "Exactly!"

"Silly little thing," Shockwave murmured, "That small foliage organic branch will not serve as a proper shelter for you."

"Bolt it!" Hot Shot snapped. He stoop up and smiled. "Besides, it's only just the start of my plan. With my highly upgraded processor, I shall create the best shelter out of this stick."

"Fascinating..." Shockwave sounded unimpressed.

Hot Shot smirked arrogantly at the Decepticon. "We shall truly see if brains triumph over brawn tonight, now won't we?"

Much later that evening, Hot Shot was seen struggling to tie down the branch pieces with vine. He grunted in frustration and a single branch piece fell right on his head. Shockwave watched this and Red Alert was sound asleep.

"Keep trying, Autobot, I'm sure you'll get it." he said, a hint of mockery in his voice.

Hot Shot glared back at him. "Shut it!" he growled, storming over to Shockwave, leveling his finger in the Decepticon's face. "You shut up right now. You say one more word, just one more! I'll burn off your legs and leave you to die, got me?"

Shockwave's camera optic flickered once. "Never look into the optics of someone you want to kill, they will haunt you forever. Believe me, foolish one, I know."

Hot Shot scowled angrily down at him. He was not going to take his optics off of that Decepticon for an instant. He sat down against a rock and pointed at Shockwave, determined.

"I'll be watching you, Decepti-scum." he said, menacingly. "All night. I can go seven cycles without any kind of recharge at all."

"I can go seven Solar Cycles." Shockwave countered.

Hot Shot glowered at him, his arms folding across his chest. "We will just see who falls asleep first." He made gestured to his own optics, and then to Shockwave, indicating a serious "I'm keeping my eyes on you" gesture to him.

Several hours passed, each mech staring each other down. Shockwave's single optic never once blinked, while Hot Shot occasionally did, blinking sleep away. He felt his systems slowly shutting down. He needed sleep, but he was fighting it.

Shockwave just sat there, emotionless and wide awake. His single eye glowed in the dark.

Finally, with what seemed like forever, Shockwave was sound asleep. Hot Shot smiled, triumphantly before he leaned back, continuing to stay awake for as long as he needed to.

_Meanwhile_

Onboard Megatron's Decepticon warship, he received the current status from Starscream and Strika. Currently, the situation was rather bleak for all Decepticon kind. The Autobots had the upper hand and their numbers were dwindling.

"Where is Shockwave?" Megatron demanded.

"We, uh, lost him..." Starscream said, a little uneasily. "He disappeared into a warp gate."

Megatron tightened his lips with a growl. "You lost my top Intel Officer?" He glanced up at the sound of Autobot ships closing in before he grabbed Starscream by the wing and yanked him close. "I want that Decepticon back, Starscream." he said, menacingly, ignoring Starscream's groans of pain.

"I-I'll find him!" Starscream stammered.

"You had better, unless you want me to seek out a replacement," Megatron snapped, forcefully releasing him. "We'll go up to the 8-LV quadrant. Meet us there. And he had better be alive. Can we trust you with that, Starscream?"

The Seeker growled in frustration and anger, rubbing his still sore wing. "Let's go." he groused, storming off in a huff.

O

Hot Shot mumbled and yawned, stretching. He glanced up, only to meet bright sun, smiling. "Ahh...what a nice nap..." he sighed. A shadow cast over him, while his optics dimmed and he furrowed his brow. "Dear Primus, what happened to the sun?" He looked up and cried out.

Shockwave was glancing down at him. "Sleep well?" he asked.

"He-You-!" Hot Shot cried, jumping up. "How'd you get out?"

"I set him free." Red Alert walked up. "We need all the help that we can get, Hot Shot. We can't afford to be holding onto grudges right now."

Hot Shot stared at her in disbelief. "Are you nuts?"

"No, I'm realistic." Red Alert replied. She took Hot Shot aside and he stared at her in protest.

"You're not actually gonna trust this guy, are ya'?" he asked.

"Of course I'm not going to trust him." she told him, voice barely above a whisper, "I'm keeping my eye on him for now. But as long as he doesn't make a move, we don't have to. We just keep our eyes open, that's all we can do at this moment."

Hot Shot seemed to understand and nodded once, annoyed. "Fine, I'll give the guy a shot. But that's the only one he gets."

"Alright." Red Alert replied, a bit more than relieved. "I'm glad we took care of that." She turned to Shockwave. "Now, this planet may have some way for us to contact our factions, right?"

Shockwave glanced around the general area. As far as he could tell, the planet seemed almost too primitive to allow any kind of help on their part. Still, maybe, there was that chance there was something that would allow them to do what she was talking about.

"Perhaps a powerful energy source and some reasonable materials may allow for me to craft us a device that I could use to send out a signal to Cyberton headquarters." he answered, "Although the chances of that are extremely limited."

Red Alert shook her head. "We don't have much choice at the moment," she replied, "Sitting here won't get us off of this planet."

Hot Shot nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I guess..."

Red Alert smiled. "And we'll work together for the time being," she said, "Once we are back on Cybertron, it's back to our own factions, alright?"

The two nodded their heads in agreement. Even Shockwave was all for this plan. After all, he needed the two to serve him while he worked up a plan to get off of this planet. He didn't care for what happened to them afterwards.

O

_Note_-Thus the beginning well...begins! Ugh...even I found that to be in bad taste.


	3. Teamwork or Die

**Never Was**

**Disclaimer:** A bizarre idea that came to me shortly after I watched the new Transformers Animated episode on Saturday on March 13th. I'm not so sure if it is a... "realistic idea", to begin with, but I will make it as "real" as I possibly can. This idea was bugging me so much, I _had_ to put it down. So if you feel this isn't the best, you can tell me. It won't hurt my feelings, honest. This fic takes place before the events of Animated.

_"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before."_  
-Edgar Allan Poe

_"The utmost extent of man's knowledge, is to know that he knows nothing."_  
-Joseph Addison

**By: VampireQueenAkasha**

"_Your reasoning is highly illogical_."

-Shockwave, G1 Episode

**Chapter Two: Teamwork or Die**

_Unknown Planet_

Hot Shot kicked a pebble absently over the edge of a massive cliff. He watched it drop from the massive height and looked back at the other two. Shockwave was drawing calculations up in the dirt with a stick and Red Alert watched him.

"How are we gonna get off this planet?" he muttered.

"I explained it 14 times, I'm not going to explain it again..." Shockwave muttered.

Hot Shot smiled and shrugged. "Ehh, what's 15 times?"

"More times than I should have to!" Shockwave snapped, his single eye flickering with irritation. "I know Autobots are not that smart when it comes to processing information, but it does not take even the lowest processors 14 times to understand something!"

Hot Shot glared back. "And just what the slag is that supposed to mean?"

"Do you really need me to explain how to make sense of an insult?"

Red Alert held out two hands. "Okay, enough!" she said, "This is why we're not getting anywhere. The two of you can't stop arguing."

"He started it..." Hot Shot muttered, glaring at Shockwave.

Red Alert rolled her optics with disdain. "Forget who started it," she snapped. "We have to figure out a way across the gully here." She gestured to the cliff.

The other two didn't like the idea of having to cross this enormous cliff. It stretched for miles and going around it would take more time than they knew was necessary. So Shockwave was attempting to figure out a way to get them across.

"Well..." he began, rising. "I took notice to that small bridge of stone nearest here, but it doesn't possess stability and-"

Hot Shot grinned and rushed over to what Shockwave was talking about; a bridge of stone that had formed through rock movement and shifting plates, no doubt. He gave it the once-over before looking back at the Decepticon.

"Stability?" he said, "Shoot, we go one at a time, slowly, I'm sure we can make it."

Red Alert looked a bit uneasy as well. She studied the stone bridge with doubt. Maybe it wasn't a good idea. "I don't know, Hot Shot." she said, "Shockwave knows more about calculations than the both of us do. Maybe we should listen to-"

"A Decepticon?" Hot Shot finished, "No thanks. I choose life!"

Shockwave shook his head. "Very well, you can die if you wish." he said, mockingly.

Hot Shot crept carefully and easily across the slim, stoney pathway. Red Alert carefully followed behind. The two winced and did not dare to glance down at the chasm below. Finally, Hot Shot made it over and Red Alert was helped to his side. They looked over toward Shockwave.

"Come on!" Red Alert called, "It seems stable!"

Shockwave didn't budge for a few moments. He glanced down, observing the rickety stone path with unease. He knew very well that it could collapse at any given nano click. And he knew it would not be wise for him to cross it considering his size. But...maybe if he moved at just the precise speed, he could get across. After all, it wasn't so very far.

"Alright." he replied, "I suppose I can manage across."

He carefully placed a foot onto the stone and slowly inched his way across. The other two watched him carefully; Red Alert offering some form of encouragement to help the Decepticon get to their side without falling over into oblivion.

"Come on, Shockwave, you're close!" she called, "You can do it!"

"Silence yourself, Autobrat!" Shockwave snapped, arms waving slightly to steady himself, "You are not helping me!"

Hot Shot grinned. "What I wouldn't give for a handful of ball bearings right about now." he joked.

A suspicious crumbling sound caused Shockwave to hesitate and glance back. The rock was crumbling. Crumbling slowly and moving toward him. He gasped in horror.

"Shockwave, run!" Red Alert shouted.

He did not need her to tell him that twice. Shockwave ran as fast as he could, panting through his speakers. Finally, he ltook a great jump and nearly fell to his doom. His servos grasped at the edge of the cliff, where Red Alert bent down to help him.

"Shockwave, are you alright?" she asked.

"I'd be much better above ground, if you don't mind." he muttered, dangling there.

Red Alert reached down and took his free hand. She winced and glared back at Hot Shot. "Can you give me a hand?"

Hot Shot sighed, as if the idea itself was too much for him. "Okay, fine." He moved over to her and put his arms around her waist and together, they tugged, grunting sharply. They managed to pull Shockwave up onto the ground with them and the mech toppled directly on top of them.

"Primus, that was a rather close call." Shockwave murmured, glancing back. He glared down at Hot Shot. "Now do you understand why calculations are important?"

Hot Shot's face was buried in his under arm. "Yeah...just great..." he muttered, which was muffled.

_Meanwhile_

Cybertron was silent after the exile of the Decepticon forces. In fact, too quiet for some. However, they used the time to perform repairs on the major cities that had received great damages from the battles that had happened constantly.

"Where are they?"

Ultra Magnus bellowed out as he entered the Intel headquarters.

Several scientists and Intel Division workers struggled to gather data quickly for him. Perceptor spoke in his blank, robotic tone of voice.

"_We cannot be one hundred percent sure just yet_." he replied.

Ultra Magnus tightened his lips. He wanted results now. Every second that ticked by was every second crucial to the survival of two of his best officers. They were trapped on a Primus-forsaken planet, or who knew where else? And they were trapped with a dangerous Decepticon.

"Do what you can, Perceptor, but I expect a full report in a few more cycles, understand?" he said.

Perceptor nodded his head once. "_I understand_."

"Good." Ultra Magnus replied, worry in his voice. "Let's just find them and bring them home."

Shockwave, Red Alert, and Hot Shot walked through a relatively open area. Shockwave consulted his data sensory map.

"I'm tired, and I'm kinda low on fuel over here..." Hot Shot griped. "When I get back to Cybertron, I'm gonna have flux shakes and..." The rest of what he was saying droned out over a faint rumble in the distance. A rumble he really didn't listen to.

"My scanners indicate a peculiar reading just over those mountains." Shockwave said, gesturing toward the mountains in the distance. "If we keep-"

The strange sound that had droned out Hot Shot's vocals was heard much louder this time, and repeated by the sounds of animal chirps. Shockwave looked up curiously. He could not pinpoint the origins in his database. Whatever it was.

"Do you two hear that?" he asked.

"Hear what?" Hot Shot asked, tired, "Your voice?"

The strange sound was closer now, louder, and repeated by many more sounds. The sounds of animals. Shockwave looked up and noticed a herd of carbon creatures passing through, several feet from them. They resembled giant birds.

"What is that?" Red Alert asked, amazed, "What are they?"

"Mm, I could say perhaps members of the 'Squamata' species..." Shockwave mused, "Then again...maybe even the class 'Aves' due to the feathers surrounding their neckline." He tilted his head. "Judging by their speed, they seem to be fleeing a potential predator."

Hot Shot grinned uneasily. "Ehh...they're coming this way..." he said, backing up and raising his torch.

Red Alert held out a restraining hand. "Don't hurt them!" she insisted.

They quickly turned and rushed out of they way, before the creatures could trample them. It was a real footrace, but the herd was by far faster, and Shockwave knew they were not going to make it. So he pushed Hot Shot and Red Alert behind an overturned tree and he dove as well.

Finally, the massive herd passed. Shockwave peered up, over the top root. He could have destroyed them without a second to spare. But why waste much needed energy? It would not be in character for him to destroy mindless animals without just cause.

"Hm. You're right. I should preserve my strength for more...worthy game." Shockwave murmured, his single optic lens falling on Hot Shot.

Hot Shot growled and leveled his torch at Shockwave. "Not before me, Decepti-scum!"

"_Or_..." Red Alert pressed, pushing them apart, "Maybe both of you should save your energy in case we cross paths with something dangerous. After all, we don't know what's on this planet. We may need all our weapons functional."

"Yeah, I'd rather not waste fuel on this giant glitch-head!" Hot Shot sneered, gesturing at Shockwave.

Red Alert rolled her optics.

O

The trio discovered a cave in their journey. The large, gaping mouth of it cast a dark shadow down upon them. They walked inside.

"This cave is enormous!" Hot Shot gasped. He called into it. "Echo!"

Shockwave raised his clawed hand toward the walls if the caverns. He collected a handful of mineral deposits and carefully placed them onto the flat surface of his palm. He studied them carefully, calculating the metal and elements in it.

"Hm..." he mused.

Hot Shot scowled and glanced back at him. "Hey, spook show baby!" he hollered, "Let's move it already!" He plopped himself down onto a steam vent without realizing what it was. "Well, I guess this is our home-away from home, eh, Red? Home-"

The steam vent erupted, sending Hot Shot into the air with a yelp of pain, holding his burned aft. Red Alert rolled her optics.

Hot Shot grimaced and gazed down into the vent. It suddenly went off again, scorching his face.

Shockwave continued to study the caves and then turned to the two. "We will rest here for the night. It would not be wise to travel through the darkened forests at night when we fail to understand exactly what it was that's out there."

"Okay." Red Alert replied, sitting down onto a rock. "Since we're resting now, I think it's best I split up rations for all of us."

That got their attention and they sat down beside her. "You carried rations with you?" Hot Shot said.

"Of course. A good doctor always does." Red Alert replied. She removed a side container and opened it, revealing quite a few Energon sticks inside. She began to split them up evenly between all three of them. "One for Hot Shot...One for Shockwave...One for me..."

Hot Shot yawned and stretched, his joints grinding. "Well, while you split the fuel, I'm gonna try and get myself comfy." He struggled to get himself comfortable, wriggling around like an imbecile.

Shockwave stared at him, his single lens looking up from the top of his head; a simple display of annoyance. Finally, he growled. "Will you desist?" he snapped, angrily.

Hot Shot shrugged innocently. "All right, all right. I was trying to relax." he protested, with a grumble. He rested his head on the ground and glared in Shockwave's direction. "Lousy little leech, trying to tell me what to do...I'll show him."

Shortly after he drifted off to sleep, Red Alert offered Shockwave his share of the Energon sticks. He took them, after much hesitation. "Thank you..." he said, quietly.

"Well, he offline." Red Alert murmured, smiling over at Hot Shot, "Enjoy the silence while you still can. It won't last."

Shockwave remained silent.

"Is something wrong?" Red Alert asked, glancing at him. She stared down at the tattered wiring and wanted to kick herself for forgetting. "Do those wounds still cause you pain at all?"

Shockwave looked down. The pain had diminished so much, he barely noticed his wounds anymore. He had been more concerned with procuring a reasonable energy source that the damages had simply slipped his mind at the moment. Now they were much more noticeable.

"No." he replied, "Decepticons are made of stronger metal than Autobots."

Red Alert managed a small chuckle. "Well, be that as it may, Decepticon or Autobot, you cannot move around while you're wounded." She reached into a compartment and removed a soldering tool and several pieces of discarded wires.

Shockwave made a sound that resembled a snort. But nonetheless, he would allow her to repair him...while keeping his gun leveled at her head. Just in case.

Red Alert carefully made repairs, keeping her gaze from the Decepticon. "Shockwave, you can relax, you know. I'm a doctor, not a turncoat."

Shockwave said nothing.

"Shockwave...can I ask you something?" Red Alert asked.

"Alright..."

Red Alert stopped what she was doing to look up at him. "Is there any chance for us to be comrades, just for now?"

Shockwave poked at an Energon stick before he placed them into a compartment on his leg. "Maybe we can. But the idea that we are comrades temporarily changes nothing. We will be simply using each other's skills to benefit ourselves, including you."

Red Alert smiled. "It would be strange no other way."

O

_Note_-Hot Shot's "Spookshow Baby" remark was just the title of Rob Zombie's song.


	4. Strange New World

**Never Was**

**Disclaimer:** A bizarre idea that came to me shortly after I watched the new Transformers Animated episode on Saturday on March 13th. I'm not so sure if it is a... "realistic idea", to begin with, but I will make it as "real" as I possibly can. This idea was bugging me so much, I _had_ to put it down. So if you feel this isn't the best, you can tell me. It won't hurt my feelings, honest. This fic takes place before the events of Animated.

_"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before."_  
-Edgar Allan Poe

_"The utmost extent of man's knowledge, is to know that he knows nothing."_  
-Joseph Addison

**By: VampireQueenAkasha**

"_Your reasoning is highly illogical_."

-Shockwave, G1 Episode

**Chapter Three: Strange New World**

_Unknown Planet_

Hot Shot stretched and smiled, gazing up at the shining dual suns with a smile of pleasure on his face. Despite the incidents of yesterday, stasis sleep had put him into an oddly good mood. A mood good enough to go sharp shooting.

"Wow, just look at that shine!" he sighed. He glanced off to the side and noticed several fish jumping up in the water with light splashes. Curious, Hot Shot walked up to the stream and glanced both ways. Finally, he grinned slyly and ignited his torch.

Back at the caves, Shockwave and Red Alert were still in stasis sleep. Red Alert had been snuggled up against Shockwave's leg. She mumbled sleepily and it was enough to startle the Decepticon out of sleep. He gave a sharp cry, moving his leg and kicking her in the head.

"Ow!" Red Alert shouted, holding her nose.

"What?" Shockwave spat out in surprise, charging up his arm cannon. Once he regained a proper manner of thought, he sighed heavily with irritation. He was completely in the dark about where Red Alert had been sleeping. "Autobot!"

Red Alert held her damaged nose angrily. "Are you crazy?" she cried, "You kicked me in the face!"

Shockwave's single eye flickered in response to that. "Well why were you sitting so close to me anyway?" he shouted.

Realization crossed the face of the Autobot and she glanced down. Finally, an awkward smile touched her lips. Despite her "Oh", she rose and Shockwave did as well. "Well, where's Hot Shot?"

"If I knew this before I had ever awoken, I'd be quite the blessed Decepticon..." Shockwave said, irritation in his voice.

Red Alert sighed and walked to the cave entrance. She looked around and Shockwave appeared beside her. "Why did he run off anyway?" she murmured, "Couldn't he have at least woken us up?"

Meanwhile, Hot Shot was openly firing his torches at the jumping, alien fish. Behind him, two towering shapes loomed and he sensed them, stopping in what he was doing and spinning around, colliding with a giant, protruding belly. He looked up and realized that two, enormous aliens stood there, resembling peculiar versions of Earthly wolves.

"Why are you shootin' at our fish?" one of then snarled, grabbing Hot Shot by the shoulder.

Hot Shot's optics grew wide. "Whoa!" he gasped, grabbing the hand that had grabbed him, "That is the biggest hand I have ever seen! Wow, it's like a docking drone!"

The bigger alien snarled at him. "Oh?" he hissed, "You makin' fun of my hand?"

Suddenly, he gave a cry and his other arm was forced behind his back. The alien and his comrade glanced back to meet the glowing red eye of Shockwave. He had seized them both tightly by their arms and forced them behind their backs. His strength nearly broke the bones in their limbs.

"Having limbs is a privilege. One I can easily remedy." he said, warningly.

The aliens looked at him in shock. "Who...who are you?" the big alien gasped.

"At this rate, I will become your worse nightmare you could ever fathom," Shockwave hissed, "Now release the Autobot. He belongs to us."

The big alien released Hot Shot immediately and grinned in pain. "Uh, can you let us go now, big guy?" he stammered.

Shockwave refused.

Red Alert stepped up to salvage the situation. "Can you two tell us exactly where we are?" she asked.

The smaller alien laughed scornfully. "What are you gonna do for us?" he sneered.

At this, Shockwave tightened his grip on their arms, twisting a bit. They cried out in pain. "Spare your life," he finished, coldly.

The aliens suddenly grinned with unease. They did not want to risk that chance, especially seeing the cold, empty look in that single, red optic. The aliens struggled for a few moments more until Shockwave released his grip on them.

"Look, strangers aren't usually welcome on our planet." the smaller alien told him, "It would be a good idea if you left right away."

"Yes, this is a dangerous planet," the bigger alien added, "Not safe for machine life."

Shockwave shook his head. "If we could leave, we would not be here talking to you right now," he said, "We require a specific kind of energy source that will allow for us to transmit a signal to our factions. Do you know of such a source?"

The aliens glanced at each other. They seemed confused by the question.

"Well, sure, I guess," the big alien replied, "I mean, if you have the right currency to get some off of the caretaker in the city."

The three Transformers looked at each other. Finally, Shockwave leaned forward and spoke in a calm voice. "Take us there."

O

"Whoa! Check this out!" Hot Shot gaped.

The city was quite big; bigger than even Cybertron itself. The buildings were made of what seemed to be of glistening metal. Shockwave, Hot Shot, and Red Alert observed the city, on guard. Every strange organic alien that laid eyes on them seemed pensive and uneasy.

"Is it just me, or are all these slimy freaks staring at us?" Hot Shot murmured.

"You are not imagining." Shockwave replied, in a low voice.

As soon as the three approached what seemed to be a warehouse, two large squid-like aliens stepped in their way. The Rhino aliens chuckled sheepishly and waved. They spoke in a peculiar language and the two squid aliens stared suspiciously down at the Transformers. They spoke the same language in a bubbling tone of voice.

The larger Rhino alien grinned and shrugged his shoulders, responding in a very awkward manner. He gestured to the robots and giggled weakly.

"What are they saying?" Hot Shot whispered.

Red Alert shrugged. "I don't know, but it doesn't look bad." She looked at Shockwave and noticed him power up his cannon behind his back. "What are you doing?"

"Just in case." Shockwave whispered.

The large rhino alien looked down at them. "Sorry, but you can't get in until you talk to our leader." Shockwave raised his cannon and the alien raised his hands defensively. "It's our rules!" he insisted, "Once you meet him, he'll give you what you need without any trouble!"

Shockwave didn't trust this at all. Something wasn't right. Part of being a Decepticon was taking heed to any possible betrayal. And he could not shake the idea that it was not far over the horizon. He reluctantly lowered his weapon.

"Carry on..." he said, lowly.

The aliens led them away and red Alert leaned forward. "Shockwave, what's wrong?" she asked, "Do you want to get us killed?"

"I want to kill them before they kill us," he whispered back.

"What are you talking about?"

Shockwave glanced down at her. "Don't be a fool, Autobot," he snapped, quietly, "Something is not right. I can sense it." He glanced up toward the larger alien, suspiciously, "I can sense that they are up to something. They are not as civilized as they seem."

Red Alert looked a little worried. "What makes you say that?" she asked.

Shockwave glanced down at scrap parts scattered about all across the ground. They looked suspicious enough to be Transformer parts...

"Call it a hunch..."

The "leader" of this strange city resembled a humanoid serpent with arms and legs. He was adorned in metal and armor of every color. Once the three Transformers walked into the elaborate grand hall, he rose and clapped his hands with a laugh.

"Ahh! Strangers!" he gasped, "So good of you to come to see me! Please, sit!" He gestured to the large rugs on the floor.

The three glanced at one another. Shockwave refused, but Red Alert and Hot Shot sat down. The leader smirked at Shockwave, somehow amused.

"There's no need to worry, my robotic friend," he assured, "The great Sal'uk won't bite." He flicked his forked tongue out once.

"If it is all just as well, I'd rather stand," Shockwave replied, coldly.

Sal'uk narrowed his eyes at him, but maintained a pleasant smile. "Very well, I would not enjoy making guests feel uncomfortable." he told them. He paced around the room and nodded once to two guards by the door. They took the hint and shut the doors tightly.

Shockwave immediately tensed.

"We only request a suitable energy source," he told the leader, "And then, we will be on our way. You won't see us again."

Sal'uk flashed a grin. "Why not stay a bit longer?" he hissed.

Shockwave's suspicions had been true after all. He spun around swiftly, just as several aliens swarmed over them. Just as his cannon went off, a single alien reached out with a peculiar "shock-rod" and sent a massive jolt to his systems.

Hot Shot attempted the same thing, but he and Red Alert were ensnared by a tentacled alien.

"Hey! What gives!" Hot Shot shouted, "What are you doing, you stinking, organic-" The tentacled alien stuffed a rock in Hot Shot's mouth to shut him up.

Shockwave shuddered weakly and struggled to his feet. "W-What do you think...yo-you fool..." he groaned, "Th-they're...sca-scavengers!" He winced and raised his cannon, but two aliens stomped onto it and he winced sharply.

Sal'uk laughed. "Something tells me that you two should have listened to your friend here!" he sneered, at the two Autobots, "Because now you are gonna be a new part of the scrap yard...after we chop ya' up for your energy!"

Hot Shot spat the rock out of his mouth and struggled madly as they carried them away. "You no good, rotten, slagging...!" His rants faded in the halls.

Shockwave struggled for all of his honor as it took several aliens to carry him off with the others. "You'll pay dearly for this!" he snarled, at the two Rhino aliens.

The two giggled mockingly, but stood at a safe distance with nervousness.

The three were dragged deep below surface ground; Shockwave could note that the walls were dripping and this was a brig of some sort. Before he could even think of retaliating, he was tossed into a cell with Red Alert and Hot Shot.

"Ahh! Slag!" Hot Shot shouted, as his head hit the walls behind him.

Shockwave rose to his feet and glanced over at them. "We seem to be in a bit of a stalemate, wouldn't you agree?" he murmured, still sore from his painful inflictions. He fell against the wall with a frustrated growl low in his throat.

"Oh!" Hot Shot's voice dripped with sarcasm and he stuck his face in Shockwave's. "Oh! That's _so_ obvious! I-I think I'll die from the obviousness of what you have just said! Someone help me here before-" Shockwave pinched his lips shut.

Red Alert glanced to the other cells, noticing a few other Transformers sound asleep. This was peculiar. They had not been the first on this planet after all. But the only question remained was what were they used for?

"Shockwave," she said, turning to him, "You said something about the species here being scavengers. What gave that away?"

Shockwave glanced outside a small window. "I could smell Cybertronian fluids as we arrived," he replied, "I'm amazed that you two did not. It was quite potent." He pointed outside. "And that alone should have tipped you off."

The two glanced outside and gasped in horror.

There was a heavy machine working full force crushing metal and sucking out fluids from what they believed were Cybertronians. It was a mess; discarded metal, splattered oil and grease everywhere. Several slithering aliens were laughing and tossed a screaming Cybertronian onto the conveyor belt.

"Disgusting barbarians!" Shockwave growled, furiously.

Hot Shot shook his head, distraught. "This is nuts!" he cried, looking at Shockwave, "They make Decepticons look like bosom buddies!"

Shockwave knew he would come up with something. But with time no longer on their side, that would be a plan he would have to come up with soon.

O

_Note_-It's been a while. A LONG while. I'm sorry for the wait. I've been working on an original story for a contest.


	5. The Great Escape

**Never Was**

**Disclaimer:** A bizarre idea that came to me shortly after I watched the new Transformers Animated episode on Saturday on March 13th. I'm not so sure if it is a... "realistic idea", to begin with, but I will make it as "real" as I possibly can. This idea was bugging me so much, I _had_ to put it down. So if you feel this isn't the best, you can tell me. It won't hurt my feelings, honest. This fic takes place before the events of Animated.

_"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before."_  
-Edgar Allan Poe

_"The utmost extent of man's knowledge, is to know that he knows nothing."_  
-Joseph Addison

**By: VampireQueenAkasha**

"_Your reasoning is highly illogical_."

-Shockwave, G1 Episode

**Chapter Four: The Great Escape**

_Unknown Planet_

"What are we gonna do?"

Hot Shot frantically tugged at the bars of the cell, even chewing at them with his dental plates several times. He shook Shockwave by the shoulders in desperation.

"How the slag are we gonna bust free?"

Shockwave gave him a push, toppling him onto his back. "Autobot, I am seeking a means of escape. If this tiresome tirade has a point, will you please be brief?"

Red Alert gave Hot Shot a comforting pat on his shoulders. "Don't worry, we'll be fine," she assured him, "No one's going to turn us into scrap on my watch." She glanced up and heaved a sigh, not content with the obvious fact that maybe there was no hope. She did not want to believe it.

Hot Shot groaned and beat his head on the bars. "At least we're going to die together," he pointed out. He glanced skeptically at Shockwave and gestured to a corner. "Shockwave, you go ahead and die all the way over there away from us."

Shockwave leaned forward and noticed an alien guard by the prison doors. He instantly assessed the situation and turned to Red Alert. She shrugged her shoulders, not catching on to the plan that may have been painfully obvious.

"What?" she said.

"I have a plan to get us out of here," Shockwave told her, "However, it will require...female services."

Red Alert did not like the sound of that.

The alien guarding the cells pricked his head up at the sound of coy whistling ahead of him. He looked up, surprised and noticed a finger beckoning to him from one of the cells. Curious, he walked over to the cell that housed the three recent prisoners.

"Hello?" he called, grinning.

Red Alert put on the charm, smiling and swaying her hips back and forth. "Why don't you let us out of here and I can make it worth your while, big boy?"

The alien giggled mindlessly and turned, not noticing Shockwave to the side. His hand shot out and grabbed the alien by the throat, holding him against the cell. The alien gagged and thrashed, struggling to pry the metal claws from his neck.

Swiftly, Shockwave snapped his neck and the alien collapsed to the floor in a dead heap. He quickly grasped the keycard dangling from the dead alien's belt and swiped it through the locking mechanism. The second it flew open, they quickly rushed out.

"Okay, what's the plan?" Red Alert asked.

Shockwave glanced down at the dead alien and tapped it with one foot. "We retrieve our weaponry and take what we can from their supply."

Hot Shot and Red Alert stared at him in disbelief. "You mean, steal?" Hot Shot gasped.

Shockwave looked down at him with disgust at his unease. "No, I mean take what we can and do what you need to survive." he said, sternly.

The two Autobots were none to comfortable with the idea of stealing anything, regardless of their condition and treatment from the alien species. Being young and new to the harshness of the universe around them, Shockwave could only silently chuckle at their naivety.

"You will not be at fault for this," he told them, "_I_ will do the stealing."

Hot Shot glanced up and grinned. "Well, we're free!" he said, rushing for the doors.

Shockwave gestured at the doors. "Hot Shot, we don't know what's out there yet!" he insisted.

Hot Shot laughed. "I'll tell you wha-" He rushed out of the doors. A long pause. Finally, he ran frantically back in with a yell. Following behind him were the two Rhino aliens.

"Get back here!" they bellowed. The second they almost skidded into Shockwave, they cried out in terror and turned to run back the way they came, but the Decepticon seized their tails and prevented them from going anywhere. They struggled to pull free, but only succeeded in falling flat on their faces.

Hot Shot grinned down at them. "Sorry, guys, but I'm not on the menu today." he sneered.

Shockwave tsked. "Hot Shot, stop it," he snapped. He glanced down at the Rhino aliens. "Here at last. Now I can dispatch the two of you. You saved me the trouble of having to find you myself." He watched them whimper in terror beneath his feet and decided on a much better idea. "Unless of course, you would be so kind as to direct us where we must go."

The two Rhino aliens stopped struggling and glanced back at him with painful smiles. "Sure, sure, just don't kill us!" the shorter one begged.

"I will be the one to decide your fate," Shockwave told them, "If there will be no further betrayal, then I will consider the thought of sparing your wretched lives. Now, take us to your place of storage and we will be on our way."

The larger Rhino scoffed. "And how do you plan on getting away with this, anyway?"

Shockwave thought about his options. The organics posed a point. Either way, there was an idea. He chuckled softly to them and they paled, not sure they would enjoy his plan.

O

The two Rhino aliens grimaced, putting on the expression Shockwave had commanded to do so. They carried chains that trailed a path to the three Transformers. They had given the impression that the three were bound and without any means of escape. Shockwave had planned it so they could sneak into the storage unit without any trouble.

"Put on the expression like I told you." he ordered.

Hot Shot tittered. "Easy for you to say, you don't have a face!" he whispered, mockingly.

"Would it be easier if I removed yours?" Shockwave hissed, menacingly. "For this plan to work, you must all perform properly!"

The two Rhino's halted as a parrot-like alien walked up and grinned. "Hey! Where you takin' the prisoners, guys?" he asked.

They wavered somewhat and the larger alien grinned. "Well, we were told to give 'em the last tour before they were ground up!" he sneered, "Ya' gotta torment 'em with their last hours!" He winced as Shockwave kicked him in the backs of his legs.

"Hah!" the parrot alien laughed, "So true!"

The second he walked away, the two Rhino's dragged the robots to the back of the storage unit and fingered with the keypad. Shockwave sighed heavily and pushed them aside, slashing his claws down the metal and tearing the circuits. They sparked wildly and the door roared open.

The Transformers and the Rhino aliens quickly rushed into the storage unit.

Meanwhile, the very same parrot-alien who had stopped them before approached Sal'uk. He was observing the carnage of the metal compacting and crushing the scraps to ribbons. "That was a neat thing that you ordered." the parrot told him, grinning.

"What?" Sal'uk asked, turning to him.

"Yeah. That deal that those three robots would get the last hours of their lives to see everything," the parrot alien said, laughing, "That was real nasty!"

Sal'uk gritted his teeth. "I never issued such an order!" he raged.

The two rushed off to catch the Transformers before they escaped.

Shockwave fitted his cannon into place and watched as Red Alert and Hot Shot retrieved their weapons. He shook his head at their uneasy motions. Autobots...who could figure them out. Even when it came to survival, they were still blinded by foolish morality.

Well that made little difference to him. After all, they were simply pawns in his game, no more, no less.

"Shockwave!"

"Hm?" Red Alert's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "What is it?"

Red Alert was poking at a few red cylindrical objects lying in a crate. Shockwave approached and took a hold of one. They were of Cybertronian design. They looked to be explosives of some sort. That was when he had an idea.

"Hot Shot, how fast can you run?" he asked.

He stared at him with a broad grin. "Pretty fast!" he boasted. And then, he grunted suspiciously. "Why?"

Meanwhile, Sal'uk and several of his men circled the storage unit, electrical prods at the ready. "Get ready!" he commanded, "Those machines are in there! Take them apart!"

Suddenly, the front doors blasted off of their hinges, sending the aliens catapulting backwards. Shockwave stepped out of the smoke, cannon glowing red and smoking. He held it up to Sal'uk and chuckled softly.

"Looking for me?" he said.

Sal'uk rose and snarled angrily. "Weren't there three of ya'?" he snapped.

Hot Shot and Red Alert bolted in opposing directions and the aliens at Sal'uk's side gave chase to them. Hot Shot panted heavily and touched the COM-link at his head to communicate with Red Alert.

"I hope that lugnut Shockwave knows what he's doing!" he cried.

Sal'uk rushed at Shockwave and the mech reached up with one clawed hand, grasping Sal'uk by the face. The alien gave a sharp grunt and was lifted off of his feet. He struggled against the robotic grip and reached behind his back for a peculiar device that resembled a disk. He reached up and just as he did, Shockwave seized his hand and tsked.

"Considering your current situation, I do not think that it is thoroughly wise to test me or my patience." Shockwave warned.

Sal'uk snarled and thrashed in the robot's grip. "Release me!" he shouted, "I am ruler of this world! You are a mere machine!"

Shockwave was nearly amused, despite the unnecessary act of it. An organic that had a sense of arrogance to assume what it was he should be doing.

"Remarks from a fleshling carry little weight to me," he told him, "And I think it best that we put an end this little tirade."

Sal'uk's eyes went wide and his face tensed in agony as he felt Shockwave's grip tighten on his arm and face. The emotionless eye stared down at the wriggling alien.

Meanwhile, Red Alert had stopped running long enough to look over and see Sal'uk torn in half by Shockwave's powerful arms. She winced at the gruesome scene and looked away, blocking out the dying screams of the alien leader.

Shockwave's lower body was dripping in green alien blood and he pressed a foot into Sal'uk's dismembered corpse. He reached down and picked up the strange disk. He began to wonder just what it was that Sal'uk had planned with it. Maybe he would perform a few tests to figure it out.

Red Alert and Hot Shot met up with him and Hot Shot grimaced in disgust. "Whoa, you look even worse than before."

Shockwave payed no mind to him. "Their leader attempted to use this peculiar device on me before I finished him." he replied, glancing over at Red Alert. He was silent for a moment. "For whatever the case may be, his intentions were by no means just."

Hot Shot shook his head. "Well, geez," he muttered, "I mean, you took out the leader and spared us the need to take out everyone else. It would have taken a lot out of us both."

Shockwave glanced down at him. "You mistake my generosity for regret, Autobot," he said, "I only offer my assistance because it suits me."

Hot Shot rolled his optics as they walked away from the city. They passed the aliens, who had halted in their attack to watch the robots warily. After the disposal of their leader, they saw no need to attack. They were worried only for their own skins.

"Of course," Hot Shot muttered, sarcastically, "Why would I believe you'd do anything for anyone else on your own?"

"Oh will you just stop your incessant whining?" Shockwave snapped, "You are making my logic circuits ache..."

O

_Note_-Still took some time to update. Sorry for the wait. I'm trying to come up with some more ideas and the ones I do have...which to write first...HMMMM.


	6. Virus

**Never Was**

**Disclaimer:** A bizarre idea that came to me shortly after I watched the new Transformers Animated episode on Saturday on March 13th. I'm not so sure if it is a... "realistic idea", to begin with, but I will make it as "real" as I possibly can. This idea was bugging me so much, I _had_ to put it down. So if you feel this isn't the best, you can tell me. It won't hurt my feelings, honest. This fic takes place before the events of Animated.

_"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before."_  
-Edgar Allan Poe

_"The utmost extent of man's knowledge, is to know that he knows nothing."_  
-Joseph Addison

**By: VampireQueenAkasha**

"_Your reasoning is highly illogical_."

-Shockwave, G1 Episode

**Chapter Five: Virus**

_Unknown Planet_

Shockwave, Red Alert, and Hot Shot blasted through the trees, panting heavily through exhausted intakes. Hot Shot chanted over and over again, weakness in his voice.

"We gotta go! We gotta go!" he chanted, "We gotta go!"

Shockwave grabbed both Autobots and yanked them into a small cave as several of the enraged aliens rushed on by, shouting and waving crackling shock rods. Shockwave poked his head out carefully and watched them disappear over the hills before spinning around and glaring at Hot Shot.

"Another stunt like that you pathetic waste of machinery, and you're going to get us killed." he hissed, covering the Autobot's mouth with one hand.

Hot Shot yanked his hand away angrily and spoke severely. "Don't you dare tell me what to do." he whispered fiercely.

"Shh!" Shockwave commanded. He peered out of the mouth of the cave cautiously before nodding and beckoning for them to follow.

The coast was clear, and now they could rest easy there for the night. Shockwave sat down and carefully inspected the disk he had retrieved from Sal'uk. Red Alert sat down beside him and leaned forward with fascination.

"What's that?" she asked.

Shockwave did not look at her. "The alien leader attempted to use this on me," he explained, "I am not quite certain of its origins or its performance, and I believe it's best I keep this away from all of us just to ensure all of our well-being."

Red Alert nodded. "Yeah, I guess that's a good idea."

Hot Shot tsked. "What's wrong with it?" he asked, "It's just a disk. It's not like it's gonna jump and stick to our faces like some parasite and lay eggs in our processors." His eyes widened. "And then, what if those eggs hatch and an even nastier alien burst from our spark chambers to eat the rest of our bodies?"

Shockwave and Red Alert stared at him, deadpanned for a few mere moments.

"And it is at that philosophy that I WILL take heed to the situation, Autobot," Shockwave said, sarcasm dripping in his tone, "You know very little of possibility. Underestimate no one. For even the smallest of foes can become the most...unpleasant of allies."

Hot Shot caught on to that and glared at him.

Red Alert just nodded and removed a small box compartment from her back. She held it up to Shockwave. "It can contain unstable Energon cubes. Will this do?"

Shockwave had exhausted his energy reserves in his battle with Sal'uk and had not taken into recharge for some time. He felt no need to argue with the Autobot at the moment. After all, what could these inferior breeds of aliens create that was more unstable than raw Energon?

"I suppose it will do," he replied, "I will continue studying this object tomorrow. We need recharge for the time being."

Hot Shot shuddered weakly and shook his head. "Not me," he said, "I can't recharge knowing those metal eaters are out there. I'll go on watch duty and Red Alert can take my place."

"Fine." Shockwave said, curtly.

O

Shockwave and Red Alert were sound asleep. Hot Shot was nodding off every once in a while. Finally, his optics flickered out and he fell into recharge. The box that contained the disk trembled slightly and a small hole blasted out, enough to cause Red Alert to jolt in her sleep, but not enough to wake her up.

The disk had sprouted peculiar metal "spider" legs and crawled about on the cold ground. A tiny lens observed its surroundings. Through digital imagery, the tiny disk performed scans of each robot. When it arrived at Shockwave, a digital map relayed every single aspect of his circuitry and weapons. And a single red word appeared.

APPROVED.

The disk dove into the air with a screech and latched directly onto Shockwave's back, where his head met his metallic spine.

Shockwave's optic flashed on, sending warning signs throughout his entire systems. Warnings of "FOREIGN MATTER DETECTED". Flashed throughout his entire central processor. He gave a sharp cry, jolted out of recharge. It was enough to wake Hot Shot and Red Alert.

"What the-?" Hot Shot spat.

Red Alert looked over and noticed Shockwave writhing in apparent agony. She rushed at his side and his claws slashed her chest in the midst of his frenzy of pain. She uttered nothing but a weak grunt of discomfort.

"Shockwave, what's wrong?" she asked, "I can't perform any scans on you when you-"

He grabbed her by the neck in one, tight grip and snarled in a pained hiss. "D-Disk..." he rasped, "Corrupting...my systems!"

Red Alert gasped and glanced over at her box that had previously housed the device. She looked back over at Shockwave and he snarled in pain, struggling to reach what looked like a sticky, black parasite latched onto his back.

"Hot Shot, that symbiot, get it!" she shouted.

Hot Shot had aimed his torches at the parasite. "On it!"

Before he could think of making a next move, Shockwave dove and sank his claws deep into Hot Shot's wrist, yanking the torch upwards so the flame blasted high into the sky. Hot Shot howled in pain and struggled to break free, but Shockwave impeded that and grasped his arm tightly, ripping it completely out of the joint socket.

Hot Shot screamed in agony.

"I...cannot stop..." Shockwave hissed, painfully, "Virus...parasite...disk..."

He was spouting nonsense, no doubt his mainframe was scrambled by the virus running through his systems. She glanced at the wriggling thing on his back and instantly got an idea.

"Hot Shot!" she shouted, "Get it now!"

He stared at her and grinned. "Got it!" Shockwave slowly advanced on Hot Shot and he laughed and danced from heel to heel, taunting the large Decepticon. "Hey, come on and get me, big guy! You ain't got nothin' on me, come on!"

Shockwave advanced toward him, cannon sliding out of his arm. He hissed with rising fury and raised the barrel. Just as he did, Red Alert dove onto his back, drawing a startled cry from him. She grasped the parasite in one tight hand and he struggled against her.

"Red Alert, hang on!" Hot Shot shouted.

He slammed into Shockwave's torso, pushing against the Decepticon to ensure Red Alert would not be dislodged. She yanked the parasite from Shockwave's back and he shrieked before dropping to his knees. The single, red optic flickered a few times before dimming out completely.

Red Alert and Hot Shot glanced up at the sounds of shouting in the distance. The aliens had probably heard the commotion by now and were heading back toward them. Red Alert quickly took Shockwave's arm and slung it over her shoulders.

"Hot Shot, hurry!" she cried.

He did not argue this time. "Got it!"

O

The two carried Shockwave through a smaller alien town. They moved quick and dodged the inhabitants for fear they may have been with the scavengers.

"I'm concerned, Hot Shot," Red Alert replied, dismayed, "Shockwave has not come out of recharge. He should have by now."

Hot Shot glanced down at the immobile Decepticon and his natural Autobot nature felt a small twinge of pity. "He's a tough guy, he'll pull through."

Someone watched them from a smaller hut. A peculiar, wriggling eye. "Psst!"

They froze and looked toward the hut with mild reluctance. Whoever it was, may have had the worse intentions in mind. "Who's there?" Hot Shot demanded, raising his torches.

A peculiar, clawed hand beckoned with one finger. "Come inside quick, before the fuzz is on!"

Red Alert glanced at Hot Shot. "Be on your guard," she told him, "Just in case."

"I don't like this, Red Alert," Hot Shot told her, "It might be a trap."

She furrowed her brow thoughtfully. "If it was a trap, we would have been caught by now," she pointed out, "Just be on standby for the time being. We need to stay out of sight either way and Shockwave requires treatment right now."

They carried Shockwave into the hut and were instantly surrounded by weapons and boxes of every shape and size. The alien was no where to be seen.

"Well, step in!" a voice called, from behind a row of shelves, "And shut the door! You're lettin' all the cold air in!"

Hot Shot did just that and Red Alert squinted to the shelf. "Who are you?" she asked.

A soft clinking sound and the alien stepped out from around the shelf. He had a peculiar horse-shaped head and spider-like legs. His arms were chubby and one of his eyes were swiveling in another direction. Jewelry and tags covered most of his body.

"What's up here, robots?" he greeted, grinning, "The name's Tec. I'm a trader, of sorts. I do business with your kind."

Hot Shot looked annoyed. "Our kind?"

Tec chuckled. "Sure!" he said, "I'm as friendly as the day is gold!" His eyes landed on Shockwave. "And I see your robot friend got himself into a bit of a mess with the scavengers."

"You know them?" Red Alert inquired.

Tec grimaced and reached down, hoisting Shockwave onto his shoulders as if he were nothing. "Sure do!" he replied, "Nasty guys. Make my job a livin' mess. They take the tradin' business and shirk it like it was a descaled fish!"

Hot Shot and Red Alert looked at each other skeptically.

Tec placed Shockwave onto a table and touched his back with a small metallic blade. He clicked his teeth. "You took the parasite off?"

Red Alert grinned and nodded. "Yeah."

Tec shook his head. "Wow, never knew anyone smart enough to do that." he told her. He gave Shockwave a full scan before he smiled. "Ahh, he just needs some new wires and circuits boards and he'll come out of it in no time!"

Hot Shot sensed an issue with that. "What'll it cost us?" he snapped.

Tec shrugged and looked at them. "Whatcha got on ya'?"

Hot Shot and Red Alert looked at one another and shook their heads. "What do you want?"

Tec suddenly smiled. "How about one of your torches," He pointed at Hot Shot, "And one of your medical tools?"

Hot Shot shook his head in protest. "My what?" he cried, "No way! Not for any Decepticon creep! I won't!" He met Red Alert's irritated glare and whined slightly. "Red Alert! Come on! It's not fair that I have to lose a weapon cuz of him!"

"Consider it a higher honor." she told him, handing Tec one of her tools.

Tec flashed them a broad grin and tool the things. "Well, pleasure doin' business with ya'!" he told them, "Shouldn't take me longer than a few hours!"

O

Red Alert and Hot Shot took the time outside to think about their next plan of action.

"Are you...you know...sweet on that Decepticon?" Hot Shot asked.

Red Alert stared at him in disbelief. "What?"

Hot Shot grinned. "Come on," he teased, "Half the time I diss the guy, you're so quick to jump my throat and defend him. I mean, you got to have more for him other than the whole 'protect and serve' Autobot philosophy on your mind."

Red Alert shook her head. "Hot Shot, that's ridiculous."

Tec poked his head out from the door with a grin. "Hey! Sleepin' beauty's waking up! Come in!"

The two rose and walked into the hut. Shockwave was lying on his back on the table, hissing sharply through his intakes. He looked toward Tec.

"What...what did you do?" he asked.

Red Alert smiled down at him. "He saved your life, Shockwave," she explained, "You were gone into recharge for quite some time. I had no idea what I could do to help you with my limited tools that I have. Tec's a hero, you know."

Tec blushed and giggled. "Ahh, go on my pretty!" he said. He glanced out of the window of his hut. "Hey, I gotta go, you kids have fun!" He rushed out of the door, and then returned with a scowl. "I know what's all here, so hands off."

Hot Shot rolled his optics and sat down in a chair. Red Alert chuckled and sat down in another. Shockwave watched her for a few silent moments, trying to process the logic behind her actions. He could not figure it out for any reason.

"Did you bring me here?" he asked.

Red Alert smiled. "Sure."

Shockwave glanced over at Hot Shot, who struggled to get comfortable in his chair before he returned his gaze to her. "Why did you do that anyway?" he asked, "There is no logical reason for an Autobot to save the life of a Decepticon."

Red Alert laughed slightly. "What could I do, anyway?" she said, "Leave you behind?"

Shockwave rumbled softly, but did not answer.

Red Alert tilted her head and smiled. "It's weird. Despite the fact that I don't trust you as a Decepticon, it's still pretty cool how we managed to work together to survive. I mean, we may not be friends exactly, but we're not full-on mortal enemies anymore either."

Shockwave looked back at her sharply. "You and I _are_ enemies."

Red Alert heaved a sigh as he rolled over onto his side. She was quiet for a long time before she spoke, softly.

"Why can't you see that it does not have to be that way?" she asked, "Autobots and Decepticons don't have to be enemies."

"Why can't you see that it does?" Shockwave countered, without looking at her.

Red Alert looked startled for a few moments. Finally, she sighed sadly and nodded, rising. "Yeah, I guess you're right," she replied, "It does have to go both ways. We can't want peace with you when Decepticons do not want peace with us."

Hot Shot shook his head, watching her walk out of the hut. He snorted at Shockwave. "Way to go, Decepti-scum," he snapped, "You hurt her feelings." He got up too. "She risked her life to help you. She sticks up for you every chance she gets and you still treat her like trash. I hope you're happy."

"No one asked her to." Shockwave said, simply.

Hot Shot made an irritated noise before storming out of the hut, leaving the Decepticon alone to his own thoughts.

O

_Note_-Hot Shot's mention of "Aliens" bursting from chests was, of course, a joke from the original ALIEN film. I couldn't resist. Hehe. n_n And I also could not resist making Tec much like good ol' Fred Willard of Swindle. I just pictured it and it clicked.


	7. Hidden Feelings

**Never Was**

**Disclaimer:** A bizarre idea that came to me shortly after I watched the new Transformers Animated episode on Saturday on March 13th. I'm not so sure if it is a... "realistic idea", to begin with, but I will make it as "real" as I possibly can. This idea was bugging me so much, I _had_ to put it down. So if you feel this isn't the best, you can tell me. It won't hurt my feelings, honest. This fic takes place before the events of Animated.

_"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before."_  
-Edgar Allan Poe

_"The utmost extent of man's knowledge, is to know that he knows nothing."_  
-Joseph Addison

**By: VampireQueenAkasha**

"_Your reasoning is highly illogical_."

-Shockwave, G1 Episode

**Chapter Six: Hidden Feelings**

_Unknown Planet_

Shockwave was glad to be rid of the nuisance of the alien Tec. And he was even more relieved to know that Tec had revealed that there was a space bridge not too far from here. That meant they were going to get off of this planet soon.

Tec gestured to the distant mountains. "When I used to do some tradin' with your guys, I would take the bridge all the time," he said, "Not sure of it still works. I ain't been up there in a LONG time." He smiled. "Ahh, but a good kick to it might get it started up."

Shockwave tsked slightly.

"Well, we thank you for everything," Red Alert told the alien, smiling and shaking his hand, "When we get back, I'll be sure to put in a good word with the Autobots for you."

Tec grinned. "Well, sweet!" he said.

Shockwave shook his head. "Don't make him promises he'll regret."

Red Alert gave Shockwave a bizarre look and then, she returned her gaze to Hot Shot. "Alright, are we ready to go?"

"Yup." Hot Shot replied.

The three robots began their trek toward the mountain where they would find the space bridge. Red Alert stayed quiet for a while, lingering behind the two mechs and studying the coordinates that Tec had given her. Hot Shot glanced back at her before looking up at Shockwave.

"Hey, can't you just say something to her?" he said, "I think she's kinda mad about what you said last night."

Shockwave shrugged his shoulders calmly. "She'll get over it in the time being." He looked down at Hot Shot. "She's going to have to. Behaving like that of an irresponsible child does not give me license to apologize for that in any regard."

Hot Shot scowled at him and Red Alert glanced up sharply at that. "You can't really believe all that. Not after everything we've been through. Not after the way she's been helping you," he insisted, "Primus, I gave up my fragging torch for your sorry butt!"

Shockwave stopped long enough to look down at him. "When you weren't busy trying to kill me." he pointed out.

Hot Shot, for the first time, felt guilty for this and sighed.

"If we continue through the night, we should not have to walk much further to reach the bridge," Shockwave continued, changing the subject, "I don't think I have to tell you twice to keep up."

Hot Shot scowled and mocked him as they continued on.

O

The sky darkened and bizarre animal sounds filled the air. Shockwave was keeping watch while the other two Autobots slept. Of course, they had argued with his logic of walking through the night. Little weaklings. He knew that he could have walked the night, but they could not.

At least they would not complain once they awoke and continued on with their journey.

Something rustled the trees behind him, a shape that was moving slowly and slowly toward him. Shockwave could sense it almost immediately. Reddish eyes were watching him through the shrubbery. Eyes that flickered between red and yellow. Deep snarling sounds filled the air.

Red Alert slowly came online after hearing the sounds and looked around, rather sleepily. "What's going on?" she asked.

Suddenly, the trees shattered around them, jolting Hot Shot sharply out of his recharge just the same and a massive form came charging out of the darkness. Shockwave ducked out of the way, inches before he could be crushed.

The three robots switched on every available light source and gazed in shock at the creature before them. It was huge, towering over them. It's body was thick, like that of a walrus and had hooves for limbs. The alien had large, gnarled horns and tusks, tusks that resembled an insect's pincers. Thick, matted fur covered its entire body.

The alien leered down at them before letting loose a loud, bellowing roar.

The creature dove for the weakest one first.

Red Alert.

She was frozen there, stunned and unable to move. Just then, Shockwave jumped between the two and seized the massive creature by its horns, forcing it back. The creature's hooves slid uselessly against the dirt and it roared angrily, struggling against Shockwave's strength.

Red Alert stared at him, stunned. "Shockwave?"

He grunted sharply at the beast. "Tough little alien, aren't you?" he hissed, "No matter. Consider yourself extinct." He began to twist the creature's head, in an attempt to snap its neck. The animal snarled until its back shuddered and thin, slippery tentacles slithered out from fleshy pockets.

Shockwave gasped slightly in surprise and one of them wrapped around his right arm tightly. And then, it tore his arm off completely at the shoulder.

"AHH!" he shrieked.

Red Alert and Hot Shot acted fast and took both sides of the creature. Hot Shot seized its tentacles in one tight fist and laughed as it attempted to violently buck him off. "Whoa! Get along there, little doggie!" he hollered, like an idiot.

The alien had forgotten all about Shockwave and was now focused completely on these two new enemies. It roared loudly, attempting to toss them from its massive body. Shockwave winced, body trembling from the pain. He raised his arm cannon from his good arm and grunted.

"Both of you, move!" he commanded.

They looked up with gasps of surprise. Shockwave did not give them a chance to move. He fired a powerful beam of energy right at the alien's head. It erupted and burst in an explosion of blood and gust and the two other robots yelled, falling from their height and onto the ground.

"OW!" Hot Shot cried, "Slag it, that hurt!"

Shockwave moved over to his dismembered limb and picked it up, visibly shuddering. Red Alert rushed at his side and quickly fitted his arm into place for him. She held up her soldering tool and began work on reconstructing his arm.

Shockwave tilted his head at her. "Why would you help me?"

Red Alert smiled up at him. "Why would _you_ help_ me_?" she countered.

Shockwave looked down at the remains of the alien and shrugged. "It was in my own interest to stop that creature from harming you," he replied, calmly.

Red Alert nodded and smiled. "Yeah, well it's in my interest to help anybody who needs it."

Shockwave tilted his head back slightly at that, but remained silent. Hot Shot looked at him with a sigh. "I think you're right," he muttered, "We should walk the night."

Red Alert walked alongside Shockwave and glanced up at him. With his single lens-like eye, it was hard to tell what expressions he was wearing. She chuckled softly and Shockwave glanced down at her with a soft sound of confusion.

"And just what is so funny, Autobot?" he asked.

Red Alert continued to smile. "In the end, Shockwave, it's true what I thought," she replied, "Deep down, in the pit of their Sparks, Decepticons still have good in them."

The two Autobots continued walking and Shockwave stopped in his tracks, taking in what she had just said. A low, trembling sound echoed from him and he continued walking, pacing himself so he would stand in front of them.

He was watching Red Alert, confused. That was something that did not happen too often. What was it about her that confounded him? He wasn't sure. A part of him felt...tainted by such confused emotion.

Tainted...like...

Shockwave began to plan something. Something that he knew would benefit the both of them.

O

_Note_-This story is going to end very soon. I know people were hoping for a longer version, but in truth, it was not intended to be long. I visualized it being "episode-length" at best.


	8. Never Was

**Never Was**

**Disclaimer:** A bizarre idea that came to me shortly after I watched the new Transformers Animated episode on Saturday on March 13th. I'm not so sure if it is a... "realistic idea", to begin with, but I will make it as "real" as I possibly can. This idea was bugging me so much, I _had_ to put it down. So if you feel this isn't the best, you can tell me. It won't hurt my feelings, honest. This fic takes place before the events of Animated. The song here at the end is Evanescence's "Imaginary".

_"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before."_  
-Edgar Allan Poe

_"The utmost extent of man's knowledge, is to know that he knows nothing."_  
-Joseph Addison

**By: VampireQueenAkasha**

"_Your reasoning is highly illogical_."

-Shockwave, G1 Episode

**Chapter Seven: Never Was**

_Unknown Planet_

The three had walked the remainder of the night, keeping their optics open in case something else would attack them. Shockwave had been silent the entire rest of the trip. He said and did nothing to indicate he was even focused on the two with him.

Hot Shot suddenly grinned and rushed up ahead. "Holy slag, it's here!" he cried. He glanced over his shoulder. "Yo, Decepticon! Get the lead out!"

Red Alert gave Shockwave a smile before she joined Hot Shot to the towering space bridge before them. It seemed to be in pretty good shape, despite the wearing away of the outer layer. Hot Shot began to inspect the main controls, brushing the vines off of them. He brightened.

"Red Alert, the coordinates for the last use are still programed!" he exclaimed, "We can get home!" He turned to her. "We just need enough juice for one trip."

The medic smiled and reached into her leg compartment, taking out a few small Energon sticks. It wasn't much, but just enough for them to get back home. She looked back and took notice of Shockwave simply standing there, further from them. She walked over, while Hot Shot began to power up the space bridge.

"Hey, thanks for saving me back there...again. This is a huge thing, you know; it's a clear sign of personal growth," she told him, "It's proof that underneath it all Decepticons aren't so bad to the spark. That despite those terrible things that you may have said to me back in town, you really do want to try to be friends with me. It's a miracle, actually."

Shockwave glanced down for a few moments before he shook his head. "I have spent too long with you, Autobot," he replied, sounding quite weary now, "And it has done something negative to my systems. Something I cannot explain."

Red Alert frowned. "Negative?"

Shockwave nodded once. "As clearly evidenced by my uncharacteristic behavior," he continued, "Risking my own life to save you, an Autobot."

Hot Shot joined Red Alert and shook his head. "Shockwave, what you did out there was a good thing," he pointed out.

Shockwave reached behind his back. "Being trapped here with you for so long, I have obviously become infected by your Autobot influence," he replied, "Therefor, I have but one alternate solution left."

Red Alert and Hot Shot jumped back at the sight of a peculiar, gem-like lens in his hand, one in which he fitted on his right arm cannon. Once he raised it at them, they jolted and Hot Shot raised his remaining torch at the Decepticon.

"So, what?" he snapped, "Are you gonna kill us for the sake of your pride?"

Shockwave shook his head. "No," he replied, "This is a device that I have often used to scramble digital mainframes. While it won't kill you, it will simply erase your memories of what transpired here these past few days."

Hot Shot scowled. "Come on!" he protested, "I thought you had changed."

Shockwave was silent for a brief moment. "This much is true. I have changed," he said, in a soft voice, "And now, I must pay the price."

Red Alert nodded her head once. "I understand." she said, quietly.

Hot Shot stared at her in protest. "What?" he cried, "You do?"

The space bridge flickered a few times before it crackled to life. The portal behind them roared into being, swirling with blue and yellow light. The Autobots glanced back at it in surprise and Shockwave nodded.

"You have no time." he told them.

Red Alert looked up at him with sadness. "Alright," she said. She began to walk toward him and he wavered somewhat.

"What are you..." he began. He trailed off as she inched up toward his cheek and planted a quick kiss there. The gesture confused him and he watched as she backed up a few paces, sadness in her optics. He held the cannon up to them.

"Farewell, Red Alert." he told her, before firing.

The blast jolted them roughly and sent their bodies flying through the space bridge. Finally, the space bridge crackled and dimmed out, leaving the Decepticon standing there, alone. He sighed heavily and reached toward a back panel in his arm. He typed in several coordinates for the Nemesis.

"Lord Megatron, Shockwave here..." he said, softly.

_Cybertron_

Hot Shot and Red Alert came tumbling through the space bridge nexus, flying right into Ultra Magnus and Perceptor.

"It's you!" Ultra Magnus gasped. He glanced over his shoulder. "All of you, get them to the medical bay at once!"

Autobots from all around them began to swarm around him, picking up the damaged Autobots and then rushing off to get them help. Perceptor helped Ultra Magnus to his feet and his gaze flickered toward the space bridge nexus.

"HOW WERE THEY ABLE TO RETURN?" he wondered. He walked toward the space bridge they had exited from and studied the coordinates sent. He grunted, surprised. The Decepticon had sent them back?

Perceptor looked up toward the bridge, confused. He glanced back toward Red Alert and Hot Shot as they disappeared around a corner.

What had happened?

_One Millenia Later_

Red Alert breathed heavily as she rushed toward Fortress Maximus. She was carrying documents in her arms and almost dropping them. No sooner had she raced around the next corner, she collided into a blue and white mech, causing her to drop her things.

"Oh slag, I'm sorry, I didn't see you there..." she muttered, sheepishly, "I'm just in a hurry and..."

She trailed off, frowning. The mech stood about a few feet taller than her and had peculiar treads on his arms and legs. His face...though...his face was strange. It seemed almost...false. Almost unreal. But nonetheless, she shook that off and bent to pick up her things. He bent down to help.

"It's alright," the mech replied, smiling, "I was on my way to the training grounds."

Red Alert tilted her head and smiled as well. She had heard of the new recruits who had arrived a few cycles ago. He must have been one of them. She was so busy, she wasn't sure she would meet any of them. "Oh! You must be one of the new recruits!" she said.

The mech stopped for a brief moment and nodded, chuckling. "Something like that, I suppose." He picked up some documents and handed them to her. "I am Long Arm, what's yours?"

Red Alert held the documents close to her. "Red Alert." She paused for a brief moment and studied him for a few moments, slightly confused and curious all at once. "Um, have we met somewhere before?"

Long Arm furrowed his brow. "I don't imagine so."

Red Alert smiled slightly, brow furrowed in concentration. "It's your voice," she replied, "It's just...familiar somehow."

Long Arm seemed to falter somewhat at that. He shook his head and smiled. "I...I am certain you must have me confused with another," he told her, "It is my first time here. There's also the possibility of several mechs carrying a similar voice frequency as mine."

Red Alert chuckled. "Yeah, I guess that might be it." She glanced over her shoulder, noticing Sentinel Major calling after her. "Oh, coming!" she called. She gave Long Arm a quick smile. "I have to go now. Maybe I'll see you later then."

LongArm watched her rush off for Fortress Maximus. He tilted his head, watching as she suddenly hesitated and looked back at him with a smile before disappearing from view. He blinked slightly at that before he began his trip toward the training grounds. But not before he made a little...detour.

He walked to a small, rundown building and slowly walked inside. There were a few mirrors hanging around the walls and canisters of oil and Energon sticks. Long Arm sat down into a chair and tilted his head back. His shadow seemed to bend and shift, elongating slightly. He was changing form. Changing into...

Shockwave.

He leaned his head back with a low sigh. His emotions. What he thought were emotions, were beginning to bother him. But he would live with the pain of them. That would be his punishment; to suffer the agony of feeling what he felt and not allowed to voice it.

"Red Alert..." he whispered.

The pain of knowing what never could be. The pain of feeling what never would be.

He would just go on living as if what was never was.

_Ah, paper flowers  
Ah, paper flowers_

_I linger in the doorway_  
_Of alarm clocks screaming_  
_Monsters calling my name_  
_Let me stay_  
_Where the wind will whisper to me_  
_Where the raindrops, as they're falling tell a story_

_In my field of paper flowers_  
_And candy clouds of lullaby (flowers)_  
_I lie inside myself for hours_  
_And watch my purple sky fly over me (flowers)_

_Don't say I'm out of touch_  
_With this rampant chaos - your reality_  
_I know well what lies beyond my sleeping refuge_  
_The nightmare I built my own world to escape_

_In my field of paper flowers_  
_And candy clouds of lullaby (flowers)_  
_I lie inside myself for hours_  
_And watch my purple sky fly over me (flowers)_

_Swallowed up in the sound of my screaming_  
_Cannot cease for the fear of silent nights_  
_Oh, how I long for the deep sleep dreaming_  
_The goddess of imaginary light_

_In my field of paper flowers_  
_And candy clouds of lullaby (flowers)_  
_I lie inside myself for hours_  
_And watch my purple sky fly over me (flowers)_

_(Ah, Paper flowers)_  
_(Ah, paper flowers)_

THE END


End file.
